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Nier director Yoko Taro says that the upcoming action RPG Stellar Blade makes him "quite jealous" as he reckons it's "much better" than Automata itself – strong words of praise, if not a tad self-deprecating from Taro.
Speaking to IGN Japan alongside Stellar Blade director Hyung-Tae Kim, Taro isn't shy of throwing a few compliments the way of the soon-to-release game. It's the sort of courtesy many give their peers, though Taro approaches it with his signature humor, as you might expect.
After Kim answers a question about which elements of Nier: Automata inspired him the most, Taro takes the opportunity to reveal that he's been a fan of Kim's work for ages - to the point that he suggests that Kim is his senior rather than the other way around.
"Stellar Blade is a really amazing game," Taro says. "I'd say that it's much better than Nier: Automata. I have been acquainted with Mr. Kim's works since Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. Your illustrations are of a very high quality. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood came out before Drakengard, the first game I directed. So while I'm the older one, to me, in this industry you're my senior."
It's a compliment Kim takes jokingly, pondering if he should act more superior if that's the case. To that, Taro tells him that he's known among gamers in Japan as a "legendary developer."
"When Blade & Soul came out, I remember being amazed by its 3D graphics," he says. "I think you directed the game's art. Not just the illustrations, but also the 3D models were very well done. I was surprised by the quality of Korean games when I saw it."
That's not the first time Taro compliments Kim, either. The Nier veteran also says that Stellar Blade's graphics are "completely next-gen quality" and that the character design's direction is "amazing" – the "cool male characters and cute female characters" that Taro finds "appealing," to be more precise.
Given all the praise, you might not be surprised to read that Stellar Blade makes Taro "quite jealous." At one point during the interview, Taro is asked whether PlatinumGames's work on Bayonetta made him want to team up for Automata, as both feature female protagonists and stylish action.
Taro responds by saying that wasn't a reason and that Bayonetta's style is "quite different" from 2B, prompting Kim to say, "With Mr. Yoko's vision and Akihiko Yoshida's design, Nier: Automata has such a strong and unique flavor to it. The more we talk about it, I keep feeling that Stellar Blade cannot compete."
As we've established by now, Taro isn't one for compliments.
"I wouldn't say that," he says. "Stellar Blade actually makes me quite jealous. It's a game with a great concept and amazing graphics. The product shows how you and your studio's staff were working on it very hard together.
"As someone who works together with development studios as an outsider, it's not possible to share my vision and ideas for details at the same level as you can. I really envy that."
Speaking of Taro's disregard for compliments toward his work, he also says that Nier: Automata's story is "just a retelling of Evangelion, so there's not much originality to it." Dang, Taro, who hurt you?
If you haven't already, you can play Nier: Automata to see if you feel the same way. If this interview teaches us anything, though, it's that Taro reckons you should give Stellar Blade a shot instead when it releases on April 26.
